Chan Ho Signs With the Yanks

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, says Chan Ho Park. The former Phillies reliever signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the New York Yankees today, according to Dave Murphy of the Daily News. There are also $300,000 worth of incentives to be had in the deal.

To me, this seems like a steal by the Yankees. And, although Jose Contreras is wowing some people with his arm early in the spring, I think Park is still the better option presently. Both Park and Contreras signed for similar money, so did something happen behind the scenes that led the Phillies away from Park, or vice versa? At a full million dollars less than last season, Park would have been seen as a steal had the Phils locked him up. Now, he’s just been stolen by the former champs and the richest franchise in baseball.

I think the question here is, who would you rather have had for ’10: Chan Ho Park or Jose Contreras?

56 Comments

Phillies tried to sign Park for $3 million back in November and he turned it down because he wanted to start. It’s not as if keeping Park in relief wasn’t Ruben’s first choice too, but he had to move on while the other arms were still available and Scott Boras was still holding out for too much money for Park.

You know what? That’s irritating. Was anyone REALLY gonna sign him as a starter? I would have loved to have Chan Ho back. I have a question. If Chan Ho had called and told Ruben that he would pitch outta the pen for 1.5m, would RAJ had signed him, even given the presence of Contreras? The players have to lower their expectations and get real.

The loss of park is critical to a pen that was inconsistent in 2009 at best. Rueben deserves the benefit of the doubt as he has made most of the right moves thus far however the opportunities to have such a significant core of impact players doesn’t come along very often. Had the phillies signed Lee and to a lesser degree Park they had the potential to field one of the better teams of all time. While questions exist(hamels, bullpen) they are still solid.

Question: I may be moving from the philadelphia area. I can’t miss my nightly phillies fix during the season. Other than wacthing the game on the computer via MLB. do I have options with cable or satellite to pick up the local feed. Does anyone have experience with this

Didn’t he want to start so his countrymen could watch him pitch? I think that was only motivation for wanting to start. Park should have been smart enough to realize that his main value is to the bullpen.

Maybe it’s because we have him, but if healthy, I think Contreras is the better option. He’s a more effective spot starter, and just as good out fo the pen. Being with the Yanks probably has a bigger commercial impact in Korea, so even though he settled for a smaller contract, Park probably didn’t lose any money in the deal.
Mike, I worked 2nd shift most of the last two years, tried to follow games on Gamecast. It didn’t work out very well (freezes up a lot, usually with 2 out, 2 on). I never found a good free option. Fortunately, went back to day shift before the end of last season.

Park did pitch well in the pen. But let’s not forget he’s like 36, got injured a lot, and apparently refused to pitch on back-to-back days and was constantly agitating to start even though he sucked at it. So good riddance.

Contreras may be just as good. He pitched really well for the Rockies pen at the end of last season.

Park is just the pitching version of Johnny Damon. A guy who fudged up his best and most lucrative offer all over a matter of pride. Damon didn’t want a pay cut, signed with the Tigers and is getting a pay cut. Park didn’t want to be in the pen, signed with the Yanks, took a pay cut and will go in the pen.

I’ll miss Park and I certainly hope he gets his chance to start, only to get smacked around like he did when he started for us.

Its too bad that Park’s misreading the market hurts both him and the Phils. He would’ve been a great bullpen piece. I hope Contreras can be as reliable, but I doubt even Park will be able to have the type of success he had last year.

He took a paycut and signed for less with the team that can afford just about anything. Would have much rather have seen him sign with a team that actually had to worry about payroll and take a pay cut. On the other hand there is something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside when a Boras client overplays their hand and ends up with drastically less than what they could have had………………….

Pat, I live in Central Jersey and have to watch the Phils via the baseball package. Cabelvisions price is somewhere around $200-$250. The only problem is that it’s not in HD. Maybe this year they will upgrade.

Every year there are players and agents who always misread the market…that’s why when you work under a self-imposed cap and have an upper eschelon team you hold out on bench players, relievers (other than closers) and filler pieces until you get closer to the 11th hour..then you have money and winning team to bid with…and if you spend that money before this time on one of these pieces then at the very least not on 38 yr…whoops 44 yr old sunk cost like Contreras who’d still be on the block today. So worse case if you lose out you can always go to Harbor Freight and find that bargin tool you need.

I highly recommend investing in a Slingbox. About two years ago I moved out of an area with Comcast and into and area without Phils coverage. I hooked a Slinbox up to a Fios box in my sisters room at my parents house in Wilmington. Now I can get the games on any computer or a TV I have set up at my house.

One time fee and your set but you need someone back in the Philly area (parents, friends, relative) who will allow you to hook the Slingbox up to their TV.

The Yanks can have Chan Ho and his spitball. There was a Youtube video of Chan Ho spitting on the ball in the WS and I believe the Yankee batter was Posada who even looked at the ump right as Chan Ho wiped the saliva onto the ball. You can Google it but the user has removed it.

This is a who cares move. I think Bayez and Contreras are better than Park and Durbin when you look at it this way. The real concern in the bullpen should be the LHR.

Park and the Phillies did not leave it on good terms. He wanted another shot for something he does not deserve and the Phillies said NO and thats that. He is the loser not us. We have plenty of arms and someone else will step up this team does that well.

I wonder if Park signed with the Yanks for marketing purposes? He is a huge name in South Korea and put that together with the most marketable team in sports and he can make some serious dollars away from the field.

You do not always get a Phillies feed but you can watch all the games if you have Directv and pay for extra innings package, I live in Vermont, and I find it very worth it, and sometimes it is fun to watch opposing teams announcers, especially the Nats. Those guys are hilarious.

I do find it peculiar that Chan Ho Park decided to go to a team that has a solid rotation with no opening for a 5th starter (Chamberlain or Hughes has that spot). He accepted less money to continue in the bullpen. Knowing Park’s desire to start, how odd is that? Oh..and to answer the columnist ‘s question..”..who would you rather have had for ‘10: Chan Ho Park or Jose Contreras?” That’s a no brainer..Chan Ho Park, of course.

No, the best move for him –if he was actually being sincere– was to go to a team like the Cubs where he could’ve had the chance to start. He repeatedly said that that was his No.1 priority… that’s what makes him look dumb. Apparently his priorities changed…

I think he came to the realization that he wasn’t going to start when LAST YEAR the Phillies were the only team that even entertained the thought of giving him a chance . . . .. and THIS YEAR it seems like nobody did

so of those three teams . . he made the move that will benefit him the most with the most off-field opportunities$$$$…and the best shot at another postseason trip

I am still pissed off that Chan Ho Park decided to put his own “celebrity” status ahead of playing for the team that wanted and needed him most, which was us. He’s still not being a starter for the Yankees either, and he is getting a lot less in guaranteed money too. And stupid crap like endorsements has to take a backseat to the game of Baseball itself. And besides, it’s not like relief pitchers get much in the way of endorsement deals unless they are absolutely elite. His games still aren’t going to get played in Korea, because he STILL isn’t going to be starting.

Correction to Johnny’s post. He is not going “from one hitter’s park to another.” He is moving from a Hitter park to a wiffle ball park. The New Yankees stadium (or at least RF) is just down right offensive. But I agree, peace out Chan Ho, you were a pretty consistant out of the Pen, but as a Starter, you were not worth the money. Good luck going to the AL now. Boston will feast on Park.